Work from home with your pets

Due to COVID-19, same as a lot of dog parents we have been practicing work from home with our pets for about a month now. It reminds us of a lot of memories when we first welcomed our children and started living as a family. Adapting to a new lifestyle. Work from home with pets is a bittersweet experience and we want to share some of our tips working from home yet maintain a level of productivity. 

Create a separate, pet free work space

We used to have an open door policy at home but we soon released that setting a separate work space is important. If available, choose a separate room as a dedicated workspace, where you can close the door to maintain privacy and keep out from noise during home ‘office’ hours.  It will help you maintain your focus level and enhance productivity. It may take some time for your pet to get used to the close door arrangement.

Set Designated Play Times

Time management is one of the biggest challenges working from home. There are things that would distract you from work, the dishes in the sink, laundry, playing with your pets etc. Set specific break times for you and your dog. Structured play time will help you to get your work done, it can also reinforce obedience with your pets. We also suggest taking your break time playing with your pets instead of watching the screen all the time. 

Don’t give in to begging and whining

Pets are good at getting attention and reinforcing obedience is important. Do not crave or let them get in your workspace even if they start whining or begging at the door. Just like training your pets when they first arrived home, you have to provide them with clear directions and rules on how they should behave. Remember to give them treats as a reward once they have obeyed your commend. During the learning process, dog treats are helpful to keep your pets entertained. 

Be Flexible

Working from home is a new work lifestyle. You don’t have dedicated hours for lunch or coffee break. You will have the flexibility to cook yourself a meal, re-organizing your bookshelf between meetings. The work from home ‘rules’ might not always be relevant, but part of working from home and owning a dog is learning how to be flexible and figure out the most comfortable work style that you desire. Afterall, it is still a happy problem to have your pets as your new colleague at work. They keep you accompanied during these difficult times. We hope everyone is enjoying their bonding time with the furry babies at home. 

Side story

If you followed our blog, you would know we have adopted a puppy earlier this year. Our puppy, Shadow, was sick for a few days after the government announced voluntary quarantine. It made us panicked if it was related to COVID-19. There have been rumors about dogs that can pass on coronavirus. It was a very stressful week for us, especially because there are children at home. We have decided to take him to the vet that week and he was found to have bacterial pneumonia. It was a relief for us after all the emotional ups and downs, he is able to come home after a week of hospitalization. Thanks to Covid-19, it makes us realize what it means to be family with our pets. We worried about their health the same as every other member in the family. We share this story with you and hope to encourage everyone to stay home and look out for your pets. Deaths across America spiked as COVID-19 began to spread and we hope everyone stays safe with their family during this difficult time.